


tell me i’m pretty

by orphan_account



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Gen, M/M, Seijoh - Freeform, a bit of angst, cry people cry, emotion, iwaoi - Freeform, no beta we die like men, oiiwa - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-18 11:53:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21960190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Iwa-chan," Oikawa starts, face flushed and brown eyes wide. "Can you tell me I'm pretty?"
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 11
Kudos: 275





	tell me i’m pretty

**I.**

“Hey, Hajime-chan,” Oikawa starts, looking down at the volleyball in his hands. “Can you tell me I’m pretty?” 

The two are no older than seven years of age when Oikawa asks this question, cream-coloured skin flushed slightly pink and brown eyes wide. It is a fine summer day; the sun shines bright above the two boys, the sky crystal-blue, the wind a gentle breeze. 

Iwaizumi looks at Oikawa, blinks at him, once, then again. The breeze picks up ever-so-slightly, Oikawa’s hair swaying in the wind, locks of brown turning golden where the light hits, and Iwaizumi feels his breath hitch.

Then, Oikawa huffs out a breath, impatient from waiting for a response, and the spell is broken. 

“W- What kind of request even is that?” Iwaizumi manages to get out at last, his heart hammering for some reason, one that he can’t quite distinguish yet. 

The other pouts at that, arms crossed. “Just do it! Pleeeease?” He begs, moving forward to grab Iwaizumi’s small hands in his. At this motion, Iwaizumi feels warmth bloom on his face, and Fate finds that it can’t quite breathe right.

“Sure, I guess?” Iwaizumi replies after a moment’s pause; after all, it’s not like it mattered much to him. “Uh…” He starts, seeing Oikawa’s eyes widen with anticipation. “You’re pretty…” He ends awkwardly. 

Oikawa lights up at the words, and bounces up and down on his heels. “Thank you, Hajime-chan! Ohh, but you were so quiet… say it again! Again!” 

Iwaizumi, who already feels embarrassed after saying it once, refuses, eliciting a whine from the other, but when Oikawa’s mom calls them in for lunch and the brunette drops the subject, he thinks to himself that he wouldn’t actually mind telling his best friends those words again. 

**II.**

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes when he sees Oikawa waving at him, a stupid grin on his face as he runs towards him. 

“Iwa-chan, were you waiting for me? How sweet!” He says immediately when he catches up to him, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear. His smile is full of joy, his eyes crinkled with amusement when Iwaizumi huffs out a breath. “I always wait for you, idiot,” He mutters, glaring at the brunette. “It’s not like it’s anything new, so wipe that dumb smile off your face.” 

Oikawa ignores him, and instead, turns to look at him fully, and smiles even wider. It’s meant to be a cheeky one, but his skin glitters in the sunlight and his doe eyes twinkle, rendering both Iwaizumi and Fate breathless. 

After a moment’s pause, Oikawa blinks innocently. “Iwa-chan, you’ll get flies in your mouth if you keep gaping at me. Am I that pretty?”

Vaguely, he expects the other to flick him on the forehead or something amongst those lines, but Iwaizumi remains silent, and all of a sudden, Oikawa’s heart starts to pound louder against his ribcage, the air silent, Fate holding its breath. 

Iwaizumi closes his mouth and turns a little red and mutters  _ yeah _ , his Kitagawa Daiichi jacket fluttering in the wind as he turns and continues walking. Oikawa is left blinking for all of 3 seconds before the word registers and  _ he  _ flushes red, too, and chases after Iwaizumi; Fate feels like it's in a dream, watching the stars and the earth slowly merge into one.

**III.**

They are sitting in silence, after yet another loss to Shiratorizawa.

The bright afternoon lighting has long since faded into the dim darkness of a rainy evening, bleeding into the club room and dying the place blue. Oikawa bites back tears and beside him, Iwaizumi does the same. 

A frustrated grunt comes out of Iwaizumi’s mouth, and he leans back, a cold towel over his eyes. 

“Iwa-chan?” Oikawa whispers, voice hoarse, and Fate holds its breath. Iwaizumi doesn’t reply, doesn’t have to say anything to let the other know he’s listening.

“You’re pretty, Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi says immediately. 

Without another word, he pulls Oikawa closer, and the other lets him. Iwaizumi cards calloused fingers through brown locks, and Oikawa closes his eyes. He doesn’t say  _ thank you _ , but the message lingers in the air anyway.

  
  


**IV.**

  
  


It’s over. 

It’s all over. 

_ (He could’ve done so much more.)  _

Iwaizumi feels like a failure of a star; burning, burning, burning, for lightyears and lightyears, and then; nothing at all. 

**V.**

Oikawa stands just outside their bus, feeling as if vines are bounding him to the earth, holding him down, and never letting him go. This situation, as cruel as it is, is truly the work of the stars, and the reality of humanity itself. 

He looks up at the blood-red sky; it’s too bright, too loud, too sudden; he has to close his eyes.

**VI.**

  
  


“Thank you…! For the past three years!” Oikawa shouts; emotion and anguish ridden deep in his voice, so utterly genuine it brings his friends to tears. 

They cry, and cry and cry and cry some more. 

Oikawa, boundless and star-bound, and Iwaizumi, earnest and solid, stand together side by side, giving one final talk; Fate is holding its breath as they speak. Iwaizumi glances at Oikawa, who he is in love with, and who is in love with him. “You’re pretty, Tooru,” He tells the other underneath his breath. The brunette keeps his gaze on their teammates, the squeeze on Iwaizumi’s hand says enough.

“Losing, does not mean you have given up,” Oikawa murmurs, his voice barely above a whisper. “Loss, my friends, is never the end.”

**VII.**

The only sound in the air is their footsteps against the earth. 

The dark of the night is unforgiving, moonlight pouring down on them and painting the earth blue, silver reflected in their eyes. Pink is tinged around their eyes; they have no more tears left to cry. They walk right beside each other, falling into steps in sync, in sync like they always are. 

Iwaizumi breaks the silence, and Fate feels a little choked up. 

“You… probably won’t be happy until you’re an old man,” He says, voice earnest and solid as ever. Oikawa jolts at the comment, whipping around to look at Iwaizumi. “Ehh?” He says, “What kind of curse is that!?” 

Iwaizumi doesn’t reply, his gaze still on the stars above them. They’ve always reached for them,  _ reached  _ and  _ reached  _ but have never truly been able to get to them. He closes his eyes, shoulders softening.

“You’ll live chasing volleyball your entire life, because you’re a real troublesome guy.” 

Oikawa huffs out a breath, the smoke curling in the cold night air. “Don’t sneak in an insult at a time like this.”

“But,” Iwaizumi continues, turning to look at his best friend, and so much more. “Keep moving forward. And do it without hesitation.”

His legs come to a stop, and his voice grows louder. Oikawa’s eyes widen ever-so-slightly, and Iwaizumi has to force every part of his being to not kiss him at that very moment.    
  


“You’re,” He says, earth-sure with the sun on his back, “ my partner that I can be proud of! And a really incredible setter!" His chest catches in his throat, and Oikawa  _ waits _ , as does Fate. “Even as the teams change, that won’t change.” 

“Not one bit.” 

Silence. 

Fate… begins to smile. 

“But when we face each other,” Iwaizumi grumbles, “I’ll take you down.” His tone of voice is so  _ sure _ , despite everything, and Oikawa snorts, because that, in itself, is so  _ like  _ Iwaizumi that it hurts. 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He retorts, a smirk on his face as always.

He straightens up, and slowly, ever so slowly, they fistbump. 

It is one single motion, one act, one touch, but it means the world to them, the eight wonders of the world.

“And Oikawa?” Iwaizumi asks, a determined look on his face. “Mnn?” Oikawa replies immediately, as he always has. 

“You’re pretty.” He says, smile crooked and boyish, and- oh.

Fate can finally breathe again.

**Fin.**


End file.
